Archive for the 'Manny Stuff' Category

Top Ten of Boston List

Published at March 4, 2010 in Personal Update, Manny Stuff, Marriage, Being a Man, Fun and Family. 3 Comments

Brooklynne & I are making preparations for her impending graduation in May. Anyone who has done this before knows that it can be a difficult process. However, it has given us the opportunity to see Boston again with fresh eyes. We have been upset by the cost of living, job market, relative unfriendliness of the citizens, living with no car, the healthcare system as a whole, & innumerable other little things. It was easy for us to be bogged down by all that negative energy for a year or so. Now that the end is in sight, we find ourselves making it a point to focus on the good things about Boston & resolving to take those memories with us when we go. So here is my top ten list, in no particular order, of things I will miss about Boston.

1. Our house church-

Love, love, love these people & they have made the last year much more bearable than the first one was.

2. The historical places you pass almost every other second-

You simply can’t walk 150 yards in Boston without passing another place of historical significance.

3. The skyline-

In my opinion, one of the best ever.

4. My current job-

Hands down, the most fun & emotionally & spiritually rewarding job I’ve ever had.

5. Darion & Jenny-

We met them when we were both young struggling couples in the North End. Our dogs are best friends, & they are just excellent, fun, giving, & lovely people.

6. The crazy people you encounter daily on the subway-

I think that the MBTA has an “at least one wild person per car” rule that seems to be strictly enforced. As an avid people watcher, I appreciate this policy.

7. The snow-

I know my wife won’t like this one, but I, for one, have enjoyed having a proper winter for at least a couple of years.

8. Walking with my wife through the city-

This is a good thing that has come from us not having cars for the past two years. We have to walk together a lot more & there’s no radio to get in the way of good old fashioned conversation.

9. The community of East Boston-

This is an amazing neighborhood, & if you’re moving up to Boston I’d highly recommend it to you. They are very well connected with one another & they step up to meet one another’s needs.

10. All the bad things I mentioned earlier-

Yeah, I know, they really are bad things. I guess it’s not so much the things themselves that I like. It’s the results of these things on our marriage. I can honestly say now that my wife & I have gone through Hell & high water this past couple of years. The result has been a daily confirmation that I married the most amazing woman in the world. No matter what kind of poo-poo we have or might encounter, my confidence in our relationship & love will not be shaken.

My Boy’s All Growed Up!

Published at July 16, 2009 in Manny Stuff and Personal Update. 0 Comments

The boy that I am care taker for made the front page of the newspaper today. He was featured in an article entitled “The Face of Courage” for an award he won at his middle school. He was so pumped all afternoon. It was pretty fun to enjoy it with him. They even quoted me in the article. After I read it to him, I told him we were both pretty much celebrities now & that we probably wouldn’t be able to leave the house without being attacked by the paparazzi. He really enjoyed that. Anyway, here’s the link to the article as it appeared in the Wellesley Townsman. “The Face of Courage” by Elana Zak

Gary Poppins

Published at July 1, 2009 in Movies, Manny Stuff, Personal Update, Fun, Family and TV Shows. 2 Comments

So, I’m going on my 3rd day as a manny, & I must say that it is awesome! I’m really enjoying it. Like I said earlier, my main responsibility is to act as a PCA (Personal Care Attendant) for a 15 year old with CP (Cerebral Palsy). Out of respect for the family’s privacy, I’ve decided not to use any of their real names in my posts. So let’s assign some fake names now.           

It is a family of 5. We shall refer to the father as John. The mother will be Jane. The oldest son is 17 years old. We’ll call him Will. Then there are the twins who are 15. We will call them Calvin & Hobbes.           

Calvin is the one that I spend most all of my time with. He is a HUGE Godzilla fan. I’m not sure, but from the looks of his collection he has every Godzilla film ever made. He is also a fan of the Japanese culture in general.

Another thing about Calvin is that he has an extensive collection of impersonations from TV & movies that he has programmed into his talker. So far I haven’t been stumped yet by Stewie Griffin, Yoda, Arnold Schwarjebubrvbiy4ohwrnf, Apu from the Simpsons, or Sponge Bob. Calvin thinks he’ll be able to get me with something, but he won’t. My knowledge of movie & TV quotes is immense & extensive.

Calvin also really enjoys video games. He has difficulty with fine motor skills so when we play I hold the controller while he uses his talker to tell me what to do. So far his favorite game is called “Tresspasser.” It’s a Jurassic Park game for PC.

All in all, I can honestly say that this may very well turn out to be the best job I’ve ever had.

As is the custom on blogs around the world, I will now say that I plan on posting more frequently with the sincerest of intentions. Peace out!

Sam the Manny Part 2

Published at June 28, 2009 in Manny Stuff and Personal Update. 0 Comments

So I finally got the manny job I’ve been hoping for. I start Monday. I’ll be working 20 hrs. a week during the summer and then move to full time in mid-August, so I will be keeping the cruise job for the rest of the summer until full-time manny hours kick in. The family is really cool. They have 3 kids. A 17 year old and twin 15 year olds. The 17 year old won’t really need me. One of the 15 year olds will need me to cart him to tennis practice and various other extra curriculars. The other 15 year old has cerebral palsy. He will be my main responsibility as he will require help to bathe, use the restroom, and eat, as well as various other things throughout the day. I got to meet him last week and he’s really cool. Cerebral palsy is a disease that primarily affects the physical body, so he’s pretty much just like any other 15 year old. He has to use a computer to talk for him and I will also help him to program that as well when he wants to change or add stuff to it. Anyway, I’m pumped and I can’t wait for Monday to get here so I can start work.